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CTA SECTOR INVESTMENT PROFILE SUMMARY FOR AFRICAN COUNTRIES

African Countries provide investment opportunities to different partners and countries under the available trade agreements mainly to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the cornerstone of the U.S. government’s trade and development engagement with Sub-Saharan Africa. Exports to the European Union also are increasing under the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements with African countries.

African Cotton & Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) has carried out CTA investment profiling of some African countries to show the opportunities available in this sector. Find the Reports below:

KENYA: AN OVERVIEW

Kenya's textile and apparel industry has earned its reparation in the global market as one of the leading emerging garment suppliers for high-volumes of bulk basis. In 2015, Kenya’s total apparel exports reached USD 380 million. This figure is expected to grow by 5% in 2016 to reach USD 400 million, according to Kenya Association of Manufacturers.

Despite being a small sector, Kenya’s textile and apparel industry has maintained a staggering double-digit growth rates in its apparel export, industrial employment and investment over the last few years.

The textile and clothing industry in Tanzania has enjoyed a substantial growth over the recent years, mainly driven by its low production cost, preferential trade access, improving industrial infrastructure, and ample availability of raw cotton.

Increasing cotton production is one of the main factors to drive the industry. The estimated cotton production in the country is likely to be 300,000 tonnes for the 2017 season. Figures also show that the total value of Tanzania’s cotton exports rose by 55% in 2016, reaching USD 46.8 million from USD 30.2 million a year ago. Today, Tanzania is also the world’s fourth largest producer of organic cotton.

Cotton production in Uganda, East Africa’s second-biggest grower of the fiber, may climb almost 80 percent in 2014-15 as stable global prices and improved weather boost planting, the country’s regulator said.

Output rised to 140,000 185-kilogram bales of lint in the production year through September 2015 from 78,000 bales in the previous season, Jolly Sabune, managing director of Uganda's Cotton Development Organisation, said. According to the 2013/2014 ministry of Agriculture sector performance report Uganda earned $24.7m (Shs83.2 billion) from cotton in FY 2013/14 – the most recent year for which such data is readily available. This was a drop from $27.7m (Shs93.3 billion) in FY2012/13.

The total export value of Ethiopia's textile and apparel industry has had a substantial growth over the last decade, reaching USD 41 million in fiscal year 2015/16, according to the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute (ETIDI). The Ethiopian government has planned to further boost exports to reach USD 1 billion by 2020.

Low labour cost, availability of raw material, and preferential trading agreements such as Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Common Markets of East Africa (COMESA) are some of the main factors to fuel the sector. Many international companies such as H&M, Tesco, Gap, and Walmart etc, are now manufacturing or sourcing textile and apparel products from Ethiopia.